Doomed Confessionary: Jean-Michel Fortin (Subsun)
Photo by Christophe Paquette
Interview No.1 for today…
Beside all the natural wonders and incredible landscapes, Canada has to offer a wide range of amazing underground artists as well.
Let’s meet a progressive stoner metal trio Subsun featuring Simon Chartrand-Paquette (bass, vocals), Jérémy Blais (drums, vocals) and Jean-Michel Fortin (guitar, vocals)!
In 2023 the band released two singles showcasing a heavier and proggier sound, a taste of what’s to come for their second album.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Absolutely! We are a three-piece progressive stoner metal band from Gatineau, Quebec, Canada called Subsun. Although stoner metal might be the most accurate label, we blend a very diverse range of influences into our music. We are also usually on the more energetic/aggressive side of the subgenre.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
I don’t think this is particular to us but for a smaller unsigned band like us, finding ways for people to discover your music is hard. Not only that but when you are able to reach a listener with a piece of social media content of whatever it may be, you must be interesting enough for them to choose to go on their favorite platform and listen to your music. Yeah, I’d say this is though, especially considering the avalanche of new bands and new music coming out each day.
I’ve mentioned it briefly but consistency and producing interesting content on social media was also a challenge this year. It’s almost a full-time job in addition to booking, creating new music, rehearsing and everything that comes with being DIY. That being said, it’s a lot of fun.
What can you be most proud of this year?
I’d say our two newest singles that we’ve release during the summer. They showcase the direction in which we’re going, a bit more proggier and heavier than what we’ve done on our first album. I think that they also cement our identity as a band a bit better. I think one of flaws of our debut was that it didn’t have a clear identity yet. It also helps that the production by our friend Topon from Apartment 2 Recording is stellar.
What was your biggest regret?
I wouldn’t say it’s a big regret because I’m sure there will be other opportunities but we worked on a little Quebec (province) tour with another great band from our neck of the woods that ended up not working.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
It has to be the two shows (Ottawa and Quebec) that we did with 1000mods and Freedom Hawk. It definitively helps that a lot of people showed up for both shows but it was also a great learning opportunity. These guys are real pros, and it was awesome seeing them perform. It was also our first time in Quebec and we hope to be back there sooner than later.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Maybe seeing how many good underground music there is in our local scene/country? I mean we played with amazing bands this year. Your readers should definitively check out bands like Sons Of Arrakis, Pharm, Acid Moth, Aawks and Trush.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
We have nothing announced yet, but you will be able to see us in our hometown for sure as well as regionally. We should have announcements coming out soon or it might be out already when this will be published. Check out our Facebook or Instagram page for all the details. We also have a website with that info: subsunrock.com.
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We want to record our second album (we are currently working on this) and we want to play live a lot. We’ve recently gone from a trio to a four-piece and we’re pretty excited to hit the stage again. We think it’s a massive upgrade on our songs and live performance and we can’t wait to share this with everyone.
How can people best support your band?
I mean everything helps. Of course, buying merch or physical music and coming to the gigs is always the best way to support but there’s other cheaper or even free things that helps like streaming the songs, sharing the music with friends, interacting with the social media posts, following us everywhere and so on.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks so much for the great year that we had, for listening to the music, coming to the gigs and everything else. This scene is alive because of the dedicated fanbase, and we couldn’t be more stoked to have found such a great community. Here’s to an even better 2024.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well